Hot on the heels of adding Nokia's N97 to its video showcase of phones that show signal attenuation when held, Apple has added Verizon's new flagship, the Motorola Droid X.

As with the other phones appearing on the company's Smartphone Antenna Performance page, including RIM's BlackBerry Bold 9700, HTC's Android Droid Eris, Samsung's Windows Mobile Omnia II, Nokia's N97 and Apple's own iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4, the new Droid X is shown dramatically dropping from several bars to zero when held with a normal grip.

Apple's videos present evidence for its claim that the Antennagate campaign being waged against iPhone 4 was overblown and exaggerated. Steve Jobs described iPhone 4's antenna issues as "a challenge for the entire industry," in describing the real engineering challenges related to delivering increasingly better reception, smaller device sizes, and improved battery performance.

The rest of the mobile industry, and in particular those companies profiled in the death grip hall of shame Apple published, have shot back with defensive statements that suggested their longer experience in building phones exempted them from any engineering issues related to antenna design.

RIM and Nokia insist Apple is alone in RF issues

BlackBerry maker RIM issued a statement from its two chief executives Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie which didn't deny that RIM's phones had any problems, but did take umbrage at what they called an "attempt to draw RIM into Apple's self-made debacle."

Nokia similarly issued a corporate statement that didn't name Apple, but said "as you would expect from a company focused on people, we prioritize antenna performance over physical design if they are ever in conflict," a not so subtle suggestion that iPhone 4 sacrificed functionality just to look cool.

Prior to Apple's official response, Nokia had egged on criticism of iPhone 4 with a corporate blog posting that claimed Nokia phones could be held in any fashion without any negative impact on performance.

At the same time, Nokia's owners' manuals for its phones include warnings not to hold the phone in a way that touches the antenna when in use, pointing out that this can attenuate the signal and cause the device to work harder, shortening its battery life.

Jobs specifically noted in Apple's press conference that you can go on the web and look at pictures of Nokia phones that ship with stickers on the back that say dont touch here." After Nokia's corporate response repeated the idea that as "the pioneer in internal antennas" its products simply couldn't experience any antenna issues, Apple added Nokia's N97 to the videos of phones that can suffer from a dramatic drop in signal bars when held normally.

HTC and Samsung deny problems exist

Two other vendors included in Apple's original video comparisons were also quick to issue press releases that suggested they've never heard of signal attenuation issues from their customers. HTC, the company the built the vast majority of Windows Mobile phones and now a primary vendor of Android models, issued remarks similar to RIM, which chided Apple for saying every vendor struggles with antenna design issues.

"The reception problems are certainly not common among smartphones," HTC's chief financial officer Hui-Meng Cheng said. "They apparently didn't give operators enough time to test the phone." However, like Nokia, HTC warns customers not to touch the antenna while in use as it may "impair call quality and cause your device to operate at a higher power level than needed."

Samsung issued a milder response, simply saying it "hasn't received significant customer feedbacks on any signal reduction issue for the Omnia II." The company likely lacks the interest in fomenting crisis for Apple in the way RIM, Nokia and HTC have sought to do because it is a major manufacturer of components for Apple, and makes billions of dollars from iPhone sales.

Motorola, Verizon targeted with Droid X video

Apple's latest video targets the newest Android phone to be compared against the iPhone, the Droid X, showing that it too can indicate a rapid signal loss when held normally. Its inclusion illustrates Apple's contention that the "death grip" videos that Gizmodo presented as a unique new problem for iPhone 4 are easy to replicate across a wide variety of models from all the major manufacturers, on phones running different operating systems, and using different network technologies.

Motorola's co-chief executive Sanjay Jha had previously stated that "consumers don't like being told how to hold the phone" and that "it is disingenuous to suggest that all phones perform equally," noting that his company has avoided placing the antenna on the outside of the phone out of fear that could cause reception problems.

Apple's addition of Motorola's latest Droid X to its videos provide evidence that all phones do suffer from some level of attenuation when held, and that this can be dramatically portrayed with signal meter drops, even when the antenna is internal.

Apple was criticized by Consumer Reports over the issue, and the magazine withheld its "recommendation" listing for iPhone 4 despite giving it top marks among smartphones. The site has given is "recommended" seal to other phones with the same issues.

Why is everyone (including Apple) obsessed with death grip when it isn't the real issue here?

Your the one that's confused.

The issue isn't the "finger of death." The issue is blocking the signal by means of the users hand, and related to that, the dropping of calls.

Apple's antenna is on the outside, therefore it's more sensitive to the issue. No one at Apple has ever denied that, they have even touted the extra sensitivity as a good thing. All phones have the issue, most of the time they don't drop calls however.

If you hold the iPhone in a natural way, it won't suffer from this and won't drop calls. If you insist on holding your finger over the antenna, it will drop bars, but for the most part still won't drop the call. If you are in a marginal signal area while participating in such hijinks, you might drop the call.

I hold my iPhone in my left hand exclusively while making a call but I never get my fingers near that spot unless I contort myself on purpose. It's a non-issue because it's almost impossible to reproduce for the vast majority of users.

I feel sorry for you if you hold your phone that way and also live in a low signal area, but that doesn't make it an issue for the rest of us. Try holding the phone with your fingers like most folks do instead of slapping it to the side of your head with your entire hand cupped around it (the only way you'd see any problem at all).

It's not healthy to have the antenna touching your face anyway. A more normal grip would eliminate your problem with the signal as well as make it less likely you will get jaw cancer or something.

The other handset vendors shouldn't have cast stones and they might not have been targeted so readily. That said, while I don't recall Moto speaking up on the issue they do have the "latest and greatest" iPhone competitor which brings with it it's own bullseye for scrutiny, which is a good thing for Moto.

Dick Applebaum on whether the iPad is a personal computer: "BTW, I am posting this from my iPad pc while sitting on the throne... personal enough for you?"

I have had a few calls suddenly lose signal on my iphone 4 and managed to change my grip on the phone. I learn not to have my finger in one particular spot. The issue is real for iphone 4 but it is also real for other phones. What Apple is having to deal with is the perception that the iphone4 is unique to the antenna problem. The reality is that this is not true, but many people and the media continue to perceive it to be true. Apple is now in the unfortunate position of trying to educate their customers, the public, and the media. Good luck. I am however very happy with my new iphone.

If I were in the market for a cell phone and saw that all of the other company's CEOs were lying about their phones reception problems then I definitely wouldn't buy their products. They deny the problem yet the videos by their own customers prove them wrong. I could understand their situations if they admitted their phones had problems when the antennas were covered. When they deny the problems exist when within their own literature they admit it, then that is outright lying.

I do my best to avoid dealing with liars. If they lie once then they are likely to be lying about other things.

My 2008 Mac Book battery has expanded within the computer and the Apple online tech guy said it was a normal occurrence for safety reasons. That was a lie. The battery only had 19 cycles on it since it is mostly used as a desktop computer. If Apple doesn't acknowledge this as a defective unit after only 19 months I'll stop dealing with Apple too. I didn't buy Applecare. I dual booted Linux on an HP computer in part because of this situation. I'm preparing to give up on Apple if they don't act responsibly and replace this defective battery.

The issue isn't the "finger of death." The issue is blocking the signal by means of the users hand, and related to that, the dropping of calls.

Yes, correct. It's a light touch (reproducible with a single finger) rather than some kind of hard grip that causes problems with some iPhone 4 units.

This is the difference between the iPhone 4 and other phones.

And yet, Apple and others are still posting video after video showing someone purposefully gripping onto phones tight in order to show dropped bars. That's not the issue that was originally reported at all!

If I were in the market for a cell phone and saw that all of the other company's CEOs were lying about their phones reception problems then I definitely wouldn't buy their products. They deny the problem yet the videos by their own customers prove them wrong.

Well you have to realize that some (maybe many) of these CEOs have no clue about specifics with their products hardware or even what is inside the user manuals. Todays CEO looks at stat sheets with data analysis all day that others (worker grunts) compile for them. Some of them care little about specifics. All they understand is what is being displayed on a data sheet, bar graph, pie chart etc.

Your the one that's confused. It's not healthy to have the antenna touching your face anyway. A more normal grip would eliminate your problem with the signal as well as make it less likely you will get jaw cancer or something.

I know a guy who got tongue cancer. He never smoked or dipped tobacco a day in his life. Of course no one really knows why cancer forms. And he doesn't have an iPhone. He lives in Florida where there is terrible coverage. He had one and returned it.

The issue isn't the "finger of death." The issue is blocking the signal by means of the users hand, and related to that, the dropping of calls.

Apple's antenna is on the outside, therefore it's more sensitive to the issue. No one at Apple has ever denied that, they have even touted the extra sensitivity as a good thing. All phones have the issue, most of the time they don't drop calls however.

If you hold the iPhone in a natural way, it won't suffer from this and won't drop calls. If you insist on holding your finger over the antenna, it will drop bars, but for the most part still won't drop the call. If you are in a marginal signal area while participating in such hijinks, you might drop the call.

I hold my iPhone in my left hand exclusively while making a call but I never get my fingers near that spot unless I contort myself on purpose. It's a non-issue because it's almost impossible to reproduce for the vast majority of users.

I feel sorry for you if you hold your phone that way and also live in a low signal area, but that doesn't make it an issue for the rest of us. Try holding the phone with your fingers like most folks do instead of slapping it to the side of your head with your entire hand cupped around it (the only way you'd see any problem at all).

It's not healthy to have the antenna touching your face anyway. A more normal grip would eliminate your problem with the signal as well as make it less likely you will get jaw cancer or something.

Yes please teach us Prof... What is the correct or normal way to hold phone? The nerve.

Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster by your side, kid.

Even Toyota was above putting out information that compared their product to others ("See! GM and Ford cars have problems too!").

Apple really, really needs to improve their crisis management. No, it should never be needed. But like firefighting equipment, it should be ready and effective when hell does break out.

Wow. Logical fallacy.

You can't really compare toyotas safety issues with apple's antenna sensitivity. They are vastly different in every way. The main one being that Toyota had nobody to point a finger at. The antenna problem is an industry wide phenomena, to some extent. Apple is mearly trying to show that they are being singled out for a problem that all phones have, even if it's not as extreme. Toyota had nobody else having the same or even marginally similar serious problems.

Whether it was ethically right for apple to drag other people into the fray is questionable, but most of the companies entered it willingly to trash apple. But comparing them to Toyota is a bit extreme and logically fallacious.

I know a guy who got tongue cancer. He never smoked or dipped tobacco a day in his life. Of course no one really knows why cancer forms. And he doesn't have an iPhone. He lives in Florida where there is terrible coverage. He had one and returned it.

Uh...
1) We do know how cancer forms. Even several different ways AFAIK.
2) A single person is just an anecdote. (Also, I like the phrase "the plural of anecdote isn't data".)
3) I'm sorry for your friend, whatever happened. I don't mean to come off as insensitive; it's just that this post is pretty OT.

Uh...
1) We do know how cancer forms. Even several different ways AFAIK.
2) A single person is just an anecdote. (Also, I like the phrase "the plural of anecdote isn't data".)
3) I'm sorry for your friend, whatever happened. I don't mean to come off as insensitive; it's just that this post is pretty OT.

Perhaps, but getting cancer on the tongue is pretty odd. Why there? Especially for a non smoker. But like you said, no one knows. I use the ear piece anyway, to be on the safe side. And I dislike holding the phone to my ear.

All the "death grip" examples posted by Apple simply prove what a joke antenna-gate was. It's looks like Apple was "snookered" into giving away free cases. All the whining may pay off in the long run. The next outcry on the internet won't be taken very seriously. Apple wins again.

There is one bit of logic that no one can deny. Apple is the only one getting bad press regarding this issue. Apple is the only one that had to hold a press conference and then give something away to attempt to make the problem better. HTC, Motorola, Google have not had to say a word when it comes to their own products.

Those are facts not logic. What judgement do those facts lead you to? That would be the logic (or lack there of).

All the "death grip" examples posted by Apple simply prove what a joke antenna-gate was. It's looks like Apple was "snookered" into giving away free cases. All the whining may pay off in the long run. The next outcry on the internet won't be taken very seriously. Apple wins again.

No, antennagate is about the Finger of Death, not about the deathgrip. Steve Jobs snookered his loyal followers into thinking that Apple is just like everyone else. WRONG. Only the iPhone 4 has the Finger of Death.

Show me another phone which you can touch with one finger and the signal goes to zero.

Fragmentation is not just something we have to acknowledge and accept. Fragmentation is something that we deal with every day, and we must accept it as a fact of the iPhone platform experience.

No, antennagate is about the Finger of Death, not about the deathgrip. Steve Jobs snookered his loyal followers into thinking that Apple is just like everyone else. WRONG. Only the iPhone 4 has the Finger of Death.

Show me another phone which you can touch with one finger and the signal goes to zero.

No, antennagate is about the Finger of Death, not about the deathgrip. Steve Jobs snookered his loyal followers into thinking that Apple is just like everyone else. WRONG. Only the iPhone 4 has the Finger of Death.

Show me another phone which you can touch with one finger and the signal goes to zero.

OTOH, show me a phone that has generated such a high level of press angst and blogging fury while at the same time having such a low level of returns...

Antennagate is primarilly about Antennagate. Acutal signal issues exist, but have been deemed minor by the vast, vast majority of users. Eventually, it will burn itself out...

No, antennagate is about the Finger of Death, not about the deathgrip. Steve Jobs snookered his loyal followers into thinking that Apple is just like everyone else. WRONG. Only the iPhone 4 has the Finger of Death.

Show me another phone which you can touch with one finger and the signal goes to zero.

Acually, I think apple's point is that signal attenuation, which was what everybody was freaking out about, happens in phones other than theirs. They aren't trying to prove everybody's is the same, just that it exists outside of iPhone 4.

(i) Installation, removal or disposal of the Covered Equipment, or installation, removal, repair, or maintenance of non-Covered Equipment (including accessories, attachments, or other devices such as external modems) or electrical service external to the Covered Equipment;

(ii) Damage to the Covered Equipment caused by accident, abuse, neglect, misuse (including faulty installation, repair, or maintenance by anyone other than Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider),

this is the part you have to be aware of "Damage to the Covered Equipment caused by accident"

Acually, I think apple's point is that signal attenuation, which was what everybody was freaking out about, happens in phones other than theirs. They aren't trying to prove everybody's is the same, just that it exists outside of iPhone 4.

Everyone acknowledges that signal attenuation in all phones. That was never in dispute. People are freaking out about the Finger of Death which only the iPhone 4 has.

Apple is pulling a complete end-around diversion to snooker people into thinking its design for the iPhone 4 is like everyone. But that's not correct, Apple decided to put the antenna in the grip of the phone with an insulated portion which when bridged causes massive signal attenuation, dropping from 5 to 0 bars. That is a design flaw that nobody else has done except Apple.

Fragmentation is not just something we have to acknowledge and accept. Fragmentation is something that we deal with every day, and we must accept it as a fact of the iPhone platform experience.

Seriously folks the issue with the various death grips should not surprise anybody. All one needs to do is watch the little dances people do in low signal areas to get a connection. It is so common people don't realize that they are actively seeking to optimize antenna performance.

As to touching the seam that is a separte issue as has already been pointed out. The thing here is the user has some responsibility to uses his %}{{^~ brains. I'm sorry folks but if you have come to the realization that touching the insullator affects reception, in your area, you have the responsibility and freedom to stop doing that.

This can be likened to the guy that buys a power saw and touches the blade realizing it is sharp. He then takes this sharp power saw and cuts wood with it, which again should cause one to think this cuts quickly. If this person after all of this cuts off his finger is it really the manufactures fault. A product liability lawyer will go out of his way to prove the case that it is. But from the perspective of the average person if you do something stupid who is to blame. The same could be said for yhose buying dirt bikes, which by the way can be fun. But we all know the guy that cant seem to control himself and ends up taking a trip to the hospital. We dont blame the motorcycle manufacture here do we?

Yet here with iPhone 4 we have people insisting that it is Apples fault that something bad happens when that insullator is touched. Sadly this is after people have learned that doing so causes problems in their location. Again to use motorcycles as an example it is like somebody grabbing a hot muffler and then blaming Harley or Honda for getting burned. If you know of a hot spot you should really avoid touching it.

Acually, I think apple's point is that signal attenuation, which was what everybody was freaking out about, happens in phones other than theirs. They aren't trying to prove everybody's is the same, just that it exists outside of iPhone 4.

Apple is trying to hide the severity of the iPhone 4 problem by omitting Field Test Mode from iOS 4. FTM would allow anyone anywhere any time to assess signal attenuation quantitatively (not just bars), just as FTM does on all previous versions of the iPhone OS running on all previous iPhone models.

Everyone acknowledges that signal attenuation in all phones. That was never in dispute. People are freaking out about the Finger of Death which only the iPhone 4 has.

Apple is pulling a complete end-around diversion to snooker people into thinking its design for the iPhone 4 is like everyone. But that's not correct, Apple decided to put the antenna in the grip of the phone with an insulated portion which when bridged causes massive signal attenuation, dropping from 5 to 0 bars. That is a design flaw that nobody else has done except Apple.

It only drops that much in low signal areas. If I am out and about, I can't get it to happen at all, not even one bar. Its only in places where signal is already low and even then I have yet to drop a call, where my boyfriends 3GS drops them regularly.

And no, I don't think most people knew attenuation happens in most phones with different ways of holding it. I think the media has portrayed it as new to the iPhone 4. Move your finger half a milimeter and, tada! No problem. It's no different than needing to shift your palm if you cover the spot on the nokia or whatever other problem you deal with.

[...] I don't think most people knew attenuation happens in most phones with different ways of holding it.

Likewise, most people viewing these videos don't know the iPhone 4 has a more serious problem of just being touched in that one spot to cause attenuation that is perhaps the worst of the bunch.

Quote:

I think the media has portrayed it as new to the iPhone 4.

That would seem to be the case for some of the media, but not nearly all. Almost all of the media have echoed Apple's claims that the problem isn't unique to the iPhone 4. So what's the big deal with the media, other than their actually not probing Apple for more relevant details?

Quote:

Move your finger half a milimeter and, tada! No problem. It's no different than needing to shift your palm if you cover the spot on the nokia or whatever other problem you deal with.

If it's no different in the magnitude of attenuation, then why do all of the videos Apple is posting of the competition show an extreme grip, why does Apple not show it's own video of the iPhone 4 finger of death, and why did Apple remove Field Test Mode from iOS 4?

Apple has a $100M test facility operated by numerous PhDs. They certainly know what the issues are, but the public is treated like fools.

My 2008 Mac Book battery has expanded within the computer and the Apple online tech guy said it was a normal occurrence for safety reasons. That was a lie. The battery only had 19 cycles on it since it is mostly used as a desktop computer. If Apple doesn't acknowledge this as a defective unit after only 19 months I'll stop dealing with Apple too. I didn't buy Applecare. I dual booted Linux on an HP computer in part because of this situation. I'm preparing to give up on Apple if they don't act responsibly and replace this defective battery.

Stop bitching about it on an internet forum and get yourself a free battery from Apple.

As or lying, I have to think your comment is a “untrue" as an expanding battery is a potential fire hazard and has always been met with a swift replacement even up to 3.5 years from purchase. You’ve also claimed it has only 19 cycles on it when the battery will be 300 to 1000 (depending on the design) before it will only charge to 80%, which is even more proof that you should get a free replacement.

My last battery expanded a year outside of the warranty. They not only gave me a new battery, but replaced the trackpad which was affected by the bulge and a new battery door because it had lost a rubber foot pad, which may or may not have been caused by the expanding battery.

Dick Applebaum on whether the iPad is a personal computer: "BTW, I am posting this from my iPad pc while sitting on the throne... personal enough for you?"

Seriously folks the issue with the various death grips should not surprise anybody. All one needs to do is watch the little dances people do in low signal areas to get a connection. It is so common people don't realize that they are actively seeking to optimize antenna performance.

As to touching the seam that is a separte issue as has already been pointed out. The thing here is the user has some responsibility to uses his %}{{^~ brains I'm sorry folks but if you have come to the realization that touching the insullator affects reception, in your area, you have the responsibility and freedom to stop doing that

Dave

That would be all fine and dandy if the spot were somewhere out of the way. But it's where a lot of people rest their palms when using the phone for talking and for data. That's the problem! Also, this specific finger-gate issue is so easy to fix. All they have to do is insulate the damn thing. The bumper does this but so would a thin clear coating.

dropping an iPhone 2G, 3G and 3GS has never been a cause for concern. now with the iPhone 4 it will be a major headache going forward.

drop your phone and crack or shatter it and bam! you're out of $199 for a replacement. no sympathy, you broke it you pay!

interesting months are ahead!

I had that problem four days after I got my iPhone 4. I opened my car door and my phone slid out of my pocket and landed on my drive way and basically shattered the back. I called apple and they told me I would have to pay 199 to get a replacement. So the following Saturday I went to the apple store to throw a stink when they were busy but I ended up not having to. I was in the middle of telling them what happened when the genius interrupted me and just said they will replace it no questions asked. Im pretty happy with their response.